Grader.



Patented May l3 E. WILLIAMS.

6 B A D E R.

(Application filed Nov. 19, 1901.)

(No Model.)

ijvraz fiilz'ams,

- ted lines.

scraping-blade broken away to illustrate the UNITED STAT S PATENT Onnics,

EPIIRAIM XVZLTJIAMS, OF FESTUS, MISSOURI.

GRADER.

SPEGIEIGA'IEON forming part of Letters Patent No. 699,996, dated May 13, 1902.

Application filed November 19, 1901. Serial No. 82,913. (No model) 5 Missouri,have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Graders, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,

: reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification,

in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is'a top plan view showing the scraping-blade inadt5 justed position, other positions of said blade and the draft-chain being illustrated in dot- Fig. Sis a side elevation with the inner side of the main beam, and Fig. 4 is an ac elevation of one of the adjusting tie-rods.

My invention relates to graders, and is particularly designed for shoving to a desired linesay the center of a road-dirt or the like which lies in another linesay dirt which has been loosened by a plow at the side of a road.

My objects are to provide an apparatus which is simple, light, strong, and cheap to manufacture, affords a great number of adjustments for the scraping blade, can be caused to"travel in a desired line, and can have the line of draft so applied that the scraping-blade is relieved of strain.

To these ends and also to improve generally-upon devices of the character-indicated my invention consists in the various matters hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring now more particularly to the drawingsfA represents the main drag-beam or body portion of the present grader, and B represents the scraping blade or arm, whichis pivotally connected to the main beam near the front of the latter in order to permit said blade to swing outwardly. In order to make the machine light and cheap, the main beam and scraping-blade are constructed of yellow'pine,

oak, or the like, protected by metallic wean shoes aand I), such shoes-being here shown as angle-irons which have one flange covering the lower edge of the main beam and scrapingblade, respectively, while the other flange of such irons lies upon the sides of the beam and blade which engage the dirt in the operation of the apparatus. Thus upon both the beam and the scraper the lower edge (which drags over the ground) and the lower portion of the.

outer face (which engages the dirt) are protected.

For supporting the scraping-blade upon the beam at block B is secured to the inner face thereof at its forward end, said block being at its rear of a thickness substantially corre sponding to the thickness of the blade B, but tapering to a thin edge at the forward end of the beam. Preferably the forward beam end has its face a beveled to incline backwardly and toward the scraping-blade, and a generally U-shaped metallic wearing-clip fits over the forward end of the beam and the block, thus protecting said parts. By reason of the construction justfles'cribed the apparatus is given a sharp nose a at its outer forward end, and the surfaces incline from said nose backwardly and toward the scraping-blade, thus permitting the machine to readily force its way through the loose dirt and causing all of this dirt'to be thrown in the desired direction. A clevis O is secured to the forward end of the apparatus, as by a bolt 0 passing through the c evis-armsand the beam, block, and clip, and the scraping-blade B is pivotally connectedto-the rear of the block B, as by hinges I). By reason of having the block of'a width to extend over the blade end which lies in proximity to the beam dirt cannot lodge and wedge between said blade-end and beam,

the blade.

Brackets D and D are fastened upon the inner faces of the beam and scraping-blade,

respectively, and these brackets are provided with suitable tie-rod supports or sockets (1, which are adapted to receive the angle ends a of adjusting tie-rods E. Manifestly when one of said rods-has its ends in sockets upon the beam and blade, respectively, the said blade is spaced from the beam and extends at an angle thereto, whereby the line to which the dirt is thrown is determined, and the position ofthe blade with relation to the beam depends uponthe length of the tie-rod and the points at which the beam and blade are engaged by this rod. In the form of machine il l um rated each lrrzicket is provided with three sockets, and by combining a tie-rod with dif ferent sockets a iltilllbfil of different adjustments of the'biaie can he obtained. I prefer, however, to provide t=votie-1'o lsot different lengths, and as either red can be employed for spacing the blade from the beam the number of adjustments of the blade is increased. One of the brackets has its outer sockets so spaced from eaeltother that the ends of the shorter tie-rod can he received therein and the said rod thus carried upon said bracket. and the outer sockets of the other bracket are such a distance from each other that they can similarly receive the ends of the longer tic rod. The intermediate soclmt of the longer bracketissuch a distance from one of the other-sockets thereof that the shorter tic-rod can be supported upon said longer bracket, and if, as shown in the drawings,tho shorter tic-rod it made halfthe length of the longer rod said shorter rod can be supported l! the central and either end so'kot ot' the longer bracket. Thus when the apparatus in not in use the tie-rods can be supported in the respective brackets and the blade can be closely folded against the beam, while w hen the app-trains is in use and ii: is desired to omplov the l nger tie rod for spam ing 'tlw shorter cud can be supported upon the longerb1.n-ketonteftho way of thelonger rod.

When using the apparatus to throw dirt from a furrow or the like at tire side of a road, the outer face of the beam A is permitted to engage a wall of said furrow, and the apparatus is thus guided. In order to eontrol the direction of travel when there i no guiding-wall or the like for the beam, 1 provide upon said beam the members F, which I hare termed ruddersfl such rudders be ing preferably supported upon the innorface of the beam and one of them being aerated near each end of the same. Said rudders are IClitll\'(l}' thin plates pivoted to 1 he btam and have blades upon one side of the pivots, which blades are adapted to enter the ground for a short distance, while upon the opposite sides of the pivots the plates are formed into operating-handlesf. When turned into inoperative position, as shown in full lines in Fig. 3, the rudders lie against the beam with their blades b tween the edges of the same and have no effect upon the travel of the apparatus. \\'heu, however the handles of the rudders are raised, the blades are projected below the beam and are therefore in position to enter the ground and guide the apparai us in its movement, the depth which each rudder takes into the ground being determined by the position to which it is rocked on its pivot.

Manifcstly tho rudders can bosupported in position in \':lllo2i.,. ways. In advance of the forward rudder have shown an. upwardlyopening ho k]? which receives the l'llddt r- .handle whersaid rudder is thrown illl.0 inof the same.

operative position, while a ratchet-plate f let into the upper edge of the beam, has teeth which are engaged by the rudderhandle when the same is raised to project the rudderbiade' below the beam, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. In connection with the rear rudder-I have provided the beam with a series of openings (1, formed in the portion of said beam over which the rudder-handle swings, and a removable pin f", inserted in an appropriate opening a, engages the forward edge of the handle, and thus supports the rudder in position. When in its various positions, a rndder-hamlle tends to move downwardly and forwardly; but the rudder is supported in its positions by some appropriate part ongaging the handle on the side toward which the same tends to move.

The siugletrce can, of course, be attached to the clevis C, butif such attachment would throw the horse too far to the side of the road or if it is desired to relieve the strain upon the scraping-blade ll the singletree can be connected to a suitable link in a chain G, which is fastened at one end to the forward portion of the beam and at its-other end to the rear portion of the scraping-blade. Manifes ly any other suitable flexible connector can be substituted for the] chain G. This draft connection G thus extends across the pat h of movement of the apparatus, and as the singletree or other draft appliance has lateral adjustment upon said connection the line of draft can be changed with relation to theadjustable angularly-di'sposed scrapingbla le in order to bring the draft into the most elfective line.

After the dirt has been loosened the present apparatus, with the scraping-blade properly adjusted, is dragged over the same, and the loose dirt is thrown to its desired new position by the scraping-black). The apparatus being very light, itcan be used to throw a thin covering of loose dirt without scraping into the road and removing any of the solid dirt Of course when desired the apparatus can be weighted bysupporting heavy bars or the like upon the beam and blade.

I am aware that many minor changes in the construction, arrangement, and combination ot the several parts of my device can be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without in the least departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to seciire by Letters Patent, is-- i. In a grader or the like, the combination with a main beam, and a scraping-blade adjustable with relation thereto, one of said members being provided with a tie-rod support and the other thereof being provided with a plurality of tie-rod supports, of a tierod adapted to simultaneously engage supports upon the said beam and blade and there by adjustably space the said members apart,

two of the said supports upon the member provided with the plurality thereof being so spaced that they are adapted to be simulta-.. neously engaged by saidjtie-rod andthereby support the same; substantially as described. 2-. In a grader or the like, the combination with a main beam, and a scraping-blade adjustable with relation thereto, each of said members being provided with a plurality of tie-rod supports, of a plurality of tie-rods of dilferent lengths, each of which rods is adapted to simultaneously engage supports upon the said beam and blade and thereby adj ustably space said members apart, two of the 1 said supports upon one of said members being so spaced that they are adapted to be simultaneously engaged by one of said tierods,.and two of the said supports uponthe other of said members being so spaced that they are adapted to be simultaneously engaged by the other of said tie-rods, whereby said respective rods can be carried by said respective members; substantially as described.

3. In a grader or the like, the combination with a main beam, and ascraping-blade adjustable with relation thereto, each of said members being provided with a plurality of tie-rod supports, of a plurality of tie-rods of different lengths, each of which rods is adapt: ed to simultaneously engage supports upon the said beam and blade and thereby adj ustably space said members apart, each of said members having supports so spaced that such supports upon a respective member are adapt= ed to be simultaneously engaged by one of said rods,- whereby said rod can be supported upon either of said members, and one of said members having a support adapted to be engaged by the other'of said tie-rods when one 7 of said rods is supported upon said member; substantially as described.

4. In a grader or the like, the combination with a main beam, and a scraping-blade adjustable with relation thereto, each of said members being provided with a plurality of tie-rod supports, of a plurality of tie-rods of difierent lengths, each of which rods is adapted to simultaneously engage supports upon the said beam and blade and thereby adjustably space said members apart, supports upon one of said members being so spaced that they are adapted to be simultaneously engaged by one of said tie-rods, and three supports upon the other of said members being so spaced that when said tie-rod engages the central of said supports it can simultaneously engage either of the other of said three supports; substantially as described;

5. In a grader or the like, a main beam, a

described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature, in the presence of two Witnesses,- this 16th day of November,- 1901.

EPHR AIM WILLIAMS Witnesses:

GALES P. MOORE, GEORGE BAKEWELL. 

